


How Tangled Things Become

by TheAvengersMascot



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Sif, Community: norsekink, Dubious Consent, I have no idea how to tag the relationships in this, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misunderstandings, Narrowly Avoided Incest, One Shot, Other, Thor means well but he still gets it wrong, you'll understand if you read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 02:32:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1588397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAvengersMascot/pseuds/TheAvengersMascot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sif could hardly believe her eyes. His brother having fallen ill, Thor was about to do the unthinkable. Worse, Thor insisted it was necessary. Loki was sick in body and to all appearances, Thor was sick in mind. How would they ever sort this out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Tangled Things Become

**Author's Note:**

> Filled for this norsekink prompt: _Odin, being afraid to hurt Loki by telling him his origin but not stupid enough to have no back up plan in case Loki does wind up going into some sort of Jotun heat, tells Thor Loki's origin when they're only just young men. Thor promises to take care of Loki's needs if it should ever happen when Odin can't get him to a healer to stop it safely._
> 
> _Unfortunately, this eventually occurs when the brothers are on a hunting trip/adventure with Sif and the Warriors Three out in the middle of nowhere._
> 
> _Thor attempts to assure his friends that he knows what's wrong with the evidently ill and possibly behaving like he's completely out of his mind Loki._
> 
>  
> 
> _From their perspective, though, their friend is saying he's going to force himself on his ill, defenceless brother who's too sick to give rational, honest consent and is therefore probably also wrong in the head for unknown reasons right now._
> 
>  
> 
> _Sif and the Warriors Three are Not Cool with this. They might not be as close to Loki as they are Thor, but even if he weren't their friend - which he is, twat that he is - what Thor is suggesting is not something anyone decent would ever do and they're not going to let that happen._
> 
>  
> 
> _(Note: this isn't actually Dark!Thor, it's just that to an outsider the whole Loki's actually Jotunn and in heat and I need to fuck him thing would probably sound pretty insane)._
> 
>  
> 
> **All characters belong to Marvel.**

"You were going to what?!" Volstagg demanded.

Thor stood before his friends looking both helpless and anxious, wearing only a thin nightshirt that did nothing to hide the fact he was nude underneath.

"It's not what you think," he insisted. "If I don't do this, he'll only become worse."

Sif thought she might become sick. Everyone always believed Thor was the very personification of honour. Yet if she hadn't awoken in time, Thor would have violated his brother while the rest of them slept on oblivious. And he kept insisting he was doing nothing wrong. How could he have hidden such depravity from them all this time?

"Your brother is ill, Thor," Fandral spat. "He's not something to be mounted like a bitch in heat."

All of them could hear Loki moaning from inside the tent. Sif noticed something off about him almost from the start of their trip. He was distracted and unfocused. From the moment he emerged from his tent that morning his cheeks were pink and his eyes glassy. His feverish appearance only worsened as the day went on. They were already miles from any civilization by the time he reached his present state.

"Actually..." Thor trailed off, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Actually, what?" Sif prompted him, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Loki is... in heat."

The four of them stared at Thor, dumbfounded. Sif knew Thor was not the cleverest of men but even he had to know what a ridiculous alibi that was for his actions.

"He's your brother, not an animal Thor!" she all but screamed at him in total disbelief.

"I know that!" Thor bellowed in return. "And this would not be my first choice but he is too far along. Nothing will stop it now but-"

"But you taking him by force?" Sif filled in, disgusted. How could she ever have thought this man worthy of her fealty? By the Nine, she even desired him for a husband at one time!

Thor was becoming more agitated by the second, as were the rest of them. "My friends, I know this smacks of madness but I'm telling you if you don't let me in there you are only prolonging his suffering. I swear on my honour, I speak the truth."

"Your honour?" Volstagg repeated, incredulous. "Your _honour_? Pray, how is it honourable to take advantage of one so addled by sickness?"

Loki's moaning was becoming louder and more intense. He sounded like he was in terrible pain. From the torchlight Sif could see him writhing within the tent. She cursed herself for not insisting they turn back when she noticed he was ailing. It turned her stomach to think anyone could be so low as to lay with someone in that state, let alone one she once called friend.

Thor's hands curled into fists. "He is not sick! He needs this."

"Why?" Hogun asked.

Sif glared at him, wondering how could he be so dispassionate in the face of what Thor was claiming.

"My brother is... is not... is not like most Asgardians," Thor got out at last.

Hogun was not dissuaded. "Explain yourself." 

"Hogun, please," Thor begged. "Loki would be humiliated if I told his secret."

"More humiliated than if he was forced to lay with his own brother?" Fandral asked with a snort.

Just then, Sif heard a new sound come from Loki's tent. It was almost like whimpering. The younger prince was truly in a bad way.

To her shock, when Thor heard it, he dropped to his knees. His hands held out to his sides, he was the very picture of surrender. "I am pleading with all of you. If you ever loved me... if you ever loved _Loki,_ do not keep delaying me from what needs to be done. You are causing him more pain by doing so."

As much as Sif wanted to run her sword straight through Thor's twisted heart, his plea stayed her hand. She couldn't honestly say she loved Loki, nor could any of them besides Thor, she was sure. More often than not he was the thorn in their collective sides with his barbed tongue and mischievous ways. Still, Loki was fiercely loyal to those he deemed worthy of it and his quick thinking got her and the Warriors Three out of many a tough spot over the years. If nothing else, they owed it to him to do what they could to help.

"If you wish us to listen Thor, you must explain why your bedding Loki would help him," Hogun stated, still maddeningly calm.

Thor looked so conflicted Sif almost pitied him. Almost.

"Do I have your word the truth of this will not spread to any other ears but yours?" When he saw their glares in response to his making demands, he added, "This isn't my secret. It is Loki's, only he himself is not aware of it. Let him be worthy of your consideration even if you no longer deem me to be so."

Sif and the Warriors exchanged looks, after which they each vowed to keep Thor's confidence.

Without getting up from his knees, Thor told them the story of how the All-Father found an abandoned Jotun babe at the end of the war. The king took pity on him and brought him home where he was raised as a prince, the second son of Odin. According to Thor, the Jotnar had specific mating cycles which included a period of heightened fertility. Heat, in other words. During this time, the urge to mate would be uncontrollable, overtaking all rational thought and ability to reason. Odin, wanting to keep the truth of Loki's heritage a secret but still wanting to protect him from being taken advantage of in that state, told Thor the truth so he could be on the watch for the signs and help him, should the need arise.

Sif wanted to beat Thor's brains out after hearing that. She recognized there was a problem before Thor did and he knew to be aware of such a thing. The problem was Thor became too caught up in their questing to notice Loki growing ill.

"Why don't we summon Heimdall to bring us home?" Fandral suggested. "Certainly Eir can treat Loki's... condition... without violence."

"She could," Thor agreed. "If we had gotten him to the healers in time. To avert or suppress a heat, steps must be taken at the first signs. By now Loki's heat is too far along. There is only one thing to do."

"This is the strangest tale that ever I heard," Sif muttered.

"I know, but it is truth. Believe me, I do not wish to bed my own brother but the fact remains, intercourse is the only thing that will help him. Otherwise he will have to endure a most intense pain coupled with insatiable need until it passes."

"How long?" Volstagg asked. His anger was gone and in its place was concern. He was likely imagining one of his own children suffering such a malady.

"Days, possibly more," Thor told him.

Sif spied Hogun's pensive expression from the corner of her eye. "What do you think?"

Hogun answered her without looking away from Thor. "My people have had more dealings with Jotunheim than the Aesir. The Jotnar do experience a mating cycle as Thor described. I don't know if its effect on the frost giant minds is as he claims but the rest of the story is plausible. If Loki is of Jotun blood, he could well be in a type of heat."

At that, Sif was torn. On the one hand, she was furious with Thor for being oblivious to Loki's distress before things became this bad. Not to mention it was no less disturbing to think of him being willing to commit incest to rectify his oversight, even though she knew his motives were not as craven as they first thought. On the other hand, if everything Thor said was true, which she believed because Thor was a terrible liar, Loki would be trapped in a state of agony until the heat passed if no one intervened. Someone had to do something.

"Right," she declared. "The four of you collect your bedrolls and anything else you need for the night and find another spot to make camp. I shall stay with Loki."

"Sif," Thor objected, shooting to his feet. "You don't have to-"

"Someone does," she cut him off. The Warriors Three were already doing what she asked and packing their things.

"But he will feel horribly guilty for taking you while he wasn't in his right mind!"

"Did I say I would let him take me?" Sif replied. Thor opened his mouth but she didn't let him speak. "I mean to help him, not submit to him Thor. There are other ways to give pleasure than what you're imagining."

"I believe this is yours," Volstagg said with a wide grin, shoving Thor's bedroll into his hands and silencing any further comments from him. "Come along. The lady has this well in hand, I'm sure."

Thor looked rather lost but Sif stood her ground in front of Loki's tent, arms crossed, until he relented. He gathered a few things of his own and cast one more helpless look at her before following the Warriors Three into the trees. Sif waited until she could no longer hear the men tramping through the underbrush before turning around to confront Loki.

Lifting his tent flap, she saw he was indeed in a pitiable state. The prince was on his stomach, rutting into the bedding. Going by the tears streaming from his eyes and sweat dripping from his forehead, it was obvious he found no relief from the act.

"Loki?" she called him softly.

He groaned. It was such an awful sound she might have thought him dying had she not known the truth.

"Help me," he moaned. "Please. I need... I don't know... but I need... please help me."

Her resolve almost weakened. Loki didn't beg. He never admitted any sort of vulnerability. Seeing him reduced to this nearly stole the breath from her lungs. Then Sif remembered she was a warrior, and her friend needed her aid. This was merely a battle of the mind and body, rather than one with swords and spears.

"I will Loki, I swear," she promised. "Just trust me and try to relax."

~~~|~~~

As tired as she was, Sif couldn't fall asleep. Loki finally gave out about an hour or so earlier. It was a relief to see his face lax with sleep, free from the pain and tension tightening his features. In her estimation he seemed to be over the worst of it. The red blush had left his cheeks, returning them to their usual pale colour. He was also no longer drenched with sweat. Not knowing how long this period of sleep would last, Sif used the time to her advantage. She filled a pot with water from the nearby brook and after tearing off a corner of her cloak, she washed him off as best she could. When that was done, all she could do was wait.

It was then Thor's words came back to her, how Loki would be guilt-ridden over using her to slake his instinctive desire to mate. She hadn't allowed him that, of course. As she told Thor, there were other ways. Yet she couldn't help but worry Loki would still feel he had used her. Not only that, but he wasn't in control of himself when he did, something that would surely haunt him. Even if he knew he didn't take her, he would still be mortified to know she saw him so unhinged.

She was still pondering over how to handle the prince when he stirred. Loki's eyes opened and looked around in confusion before landing on her. Sif was comforted to see they were much clearer than the night before, if still a little drowsy.

"What are you doing in my tent?" Loki mumbled, his voice hoarse. "And why do I feel so tired?"

Sif desperately tried to cover her shock. Did he really not remember? "What's the last thing you recall?"

Loki rolled onto his back and rubbed his face. "We were looking for a place to make camp. I was feeling strange, off somehow. I think I remember stopping for the night but it's all rather a blur."

Hoping he was still too sleepy to catch her lie, she said, "You came down with a fever of some kind. Hogun recognized it. He said you would be uncomfortable for a while but you only needed rest for it to pass. I offered to stay with you while the others went on ahead."

"The Lady Sif playing nursemaid," Loki replied with some amusement bleeding into his weary tone. "What next? Do you plan on taking up weaving as well?"

"Hardly," she said, giving his arm a shove. "And you should know better than to taunt the person with the foodstuffs. I may decide not to share them."

Loki held up his hands. "Peace. I surrender."

Sif permitted herself a small grin before asking, "Jesting aside, how are you feeling?"

"Tired. And thirsty," he added. "My throat feels like I was swallowing sand in my sleep."

 _I don't doubt it with all the moaning you did_ , she thought to herself. "I'll fetch you some water."

As she stood Loki said, "Thank you Sif. For being willing to stay behind with me. I know how much you were looking forward to this journey. I'm sorry I held you back."

Sif smiled an honest smile. "Anything for a friend, Loki."

~~~|~~~

Sif knocked on the door of Thor's chamber. She missed him at breakfast that day which wouldn't be strange but he also missed the banquet celebrating their return to Asgard the night before. As a rule, Thor did not miss a meal if he could help it, let alone two in succession. Curious, Sif tried the door and found it unlocked. Pushing it open, she saw something strange. Thor was not in his room, but Mjolnir was. Thor never left his treasured weapon behind.

Backing out of the room, Sif turned and came face to face with the queen. "Oh," she gasped. "Forgive me, my queen. I was just looking for your son. I could not find him this morning. Actually, I've not seen Loki today either."

Frigga smiled. "No harm done, my child. As for my sons," she paused, gesturing for Sif to walk with her. "Loki is with his father. They're having a conversation I've told my husband for years is long past due. I don't believe they will be finished for some time."

Sif grasped her meaning. The All-Father was no doubt explaining to Loki the truth of his heritage. She had wondered herself why it was kept secret so long, especially when Loki's heat could present such a problem. Loki was more than capable of seeing to his own health, she was sure. More capable than Thor, certainly.

"And Thor?" she asked.

The queen's lips formed a thin line. "Odin invited Thor to take an extended trip to Midgard."

"Midgard?" Sif gasped.

"Yes," Frigga affirmed. "He felt it would be best if Thor was several realms away when Loki learned certain truths surrounding recent events. And some time among the mortals may teach him the value of humility and of thinking his actions through before taking them. It seems when my husband told Thor to be aware for signs of trouble regarding Loki, he was expecting Thor to get his brother to a healer or learn what medicines to administer himself, not take matters into his own hands, as it were. I still don't quite know how Thor made that leap."

She stopped and turned to face Sif directly. "I'm so grateful you and the Warriors Three were there to render assistance. I hate to think of the damage done to both my sons if cooler, wiser heads were not there to prevail."

"As do I, my queen," Sif replied. "It is our duty to protect the princes, even if it be from themselves."

Frigga regarded her with an intensity Sif almost found unsettling. "I wonder if you would be willing to help once more."

"I am at your service."

The queen hesitated, measuring her words before speaking. "My youngest may have a difficult time adjusting to what he's learned today. He will need a friend and with Thor away..."

Frigga didn't have to finish the thought. Sif knew what she was getting at. Loki didn't have many real friends and if one limited it to people he felt comfortable confiding in the number was even smaller. Sif didn't know if she was among that number but Loki did voice appreciation for her staying by his side during his 'fever'. That was more than he did for most. And whether he knew it or not, she was already intimately familiar with some aspects of his Jotun nature.

"I understand," she told the queen. "I will be here for whatever Loki needs. As will the Warriors, I'm sure."

"That is a weight off my heart," Frigga said, and resumed walking. "My sons are indeed fortunate to have you all."

Sif smiled to herself. "Indeed they are, my queen."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. :)
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed it. You can also come say Hi to me on tumblr at [ theclassicblunders](http://theclassicblunders.tumblr.com).


End file.
